"OMG. I am SO JEALOUS."
When I, an Englishwoman living in New York, told my friends in the UK and the US I was going to Dollywood for the first time, their responses were all variations on the message above.
Of course, Dolly Parton is a global superstar. She's a multimillionaire known not only for hit country songs, including "9 to 5" and "Jolene" (most recently covered by another legend, Beyoncé), but also for her philanthropy and her theme park, Dollywood. She's an icon, from her big blonde hair to her prolific musical career.
Still, the strength of people's responses across the board to my planned trip surprised me. While I'm nowhere close to being a theme park expert, I happened to visit Universal Studios in LA last year, and people were significantly less curious about it (no shade, Universal!). This level of enthusiasm certainly has a lot to do with people's love for Dolly herself, but is also possibly due to Dollywood's location in rural Tennessee — close to where Dolly grew up in the Smoky Mountains but certainly not a big tourist hot spot. In fact, only a few people I know have visited Dollywood compared to the well-trodden paths of Disney or even Six Flags.
So when I got the chance to go, I jumped at it. And while I'd read a little about the park, I wanted to experience it without preconceptions. So, armed with our $92-per-adult tickets, four friends and I went in search of a Dolly good time on a sunny April day.
Here are seven things that surprised me about Dollywood.